Photo: Wembley National Stadium Ltd
FIFA confirmed yesterday that goal-line technology will be in place for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. The technology can be introduced in the Premier League by next season.
FIFA will invite several tenders from interested providers. Interested GLT companies will be invited to join an inspection visit to the Confederations Cup venues, currently scheduled for mid-March, with a final decision due to be confirmed in early April. FIFA can test the technology at the Confederations Cup in Brazil this summer. The Premier League is already in “close to entering a formal tendering process”
Hawk-Eye and GoalRef were already tested at the Club World Cup last year without any false readings. Hawk-Eye, which has already been used with great success in professional cricket and tennis, involves the use of a number of cameras. GoalRef uses a magnetic field around the goal and an electronic circuit in the ball. Other providers have also been invited to tender their bids. A third likely provider is Cairos, which works similar to GoalRef.
Hawk-Eye and GoalRef appear to be the front runners, but Fifa will also consider factors such as cost, installation time, and the amount of maintenance a system requires in making its final decision.
FIFA said in a statement yesterday: “The aim is to use GLT in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests.”
